Nasal respirators



Aug. 16, 1955 w, APPEL 2,715,401

NASAL RESPIRATORS Filed Feb. 16, 1954 INVENTOR.

United States Patent NASAL RESPIRATORS Walter Karl Appel, Cheyenne, Wyo.

Application February 16, 1954, Serial No. 41%,683

2 Claims. (Cl. 128-148) This invention relates to a nasal respirator for filtering dust, pollen, and other impurities from air passing into the nasal passages. The principal object of the invention is to provide a simple, lightweight, inconspicuous, and highly eflicient nasal filtering device in which the filtering element can be quickly and easily removed.

Another object of the invention is to form the device from pliable material which will enable the user to shape the device to fit a particular shape of nasal passage.

Other objects and advantages reside in the detail description of the invention, which is designed for simplicity, economy, and efficiency. These will become more apparent from the following description.

In the following detailed description of the invention, reference is bad to the accompanying drawing which forms a part hereof. Like numerals refer to like parts in all views of the drawing and throughout the description.

In the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a bottom view of the improved nasal respirator drawn substantially full size;

Fig. 2 is a side view thereof;

Fig. 3 is a top view thereof;

Fig. 4 is an enlarged, longitudinal section therethrough:

Fig. 5 is a similarly enlarged cross-section; and

Fig. 6 is a detail view, illustrating a type of resilient wire spring employed in the improved respirator.

The improved respirator is preferably formed from a therrno plastic or similar material of a type which can be heated and preformed and shaped by hand and which will retain its shape after the desired conformation has been obtained.

It consists of an elongated, substantially oval plastic shell 19 formed so as to be substantially fiat on the bottom and curvated on the top to conform to the shape of the nasal passage. An enlarged, projecting, peripheral head 12 is formed around the lower periphery of the shell to limit the upward movement of the shell in the nasal passages. A similar bead 11 is formed around the upper periphery of the shell which embeds itself in the tissues of the nasal passage to retain the respirator in place therein.

An internal peripheral flange 13 is formed within and about the lower extremity of the shell to support the peripheral edge of a multi-layer gauze pad 14. The pad 14 is held in place against the flange 13 by means of two resilient wire spring loops 15. The loops 15 are formed from a continuous length of relatively fine, noncorrodible spring wire 16, as illustrated in Fig. 6.

The wire 16 is formed in an outline conforming to the outline of the upper head 11 of the shell 10 and is molded into and enclosed by this upper bead. The wire 16 is bent inwardly adjacent the two extremities of its "ice oval outline to form the loops 15. The loops 15 are bent downwardly so as to resiliently extend toward the lower open extremity of the shell 1%. The wire 16 serves a double purpose. First, it provides a resilient stiffening reinforcement for the shell 14) so as to resiliently expand the shell in the nostril, and it serves to provide the two resilient loops 15 which retain the gauze pad 14 in the shell and prevent the pad from being drawn into the nostril.

in use, the respirators are slipped into the nasal passages and the air is breathed through the gauze pads 14. When these pads become saturated, they can be quickly plucked from place with a pin or other sharp instrument and a new pad can be inserted upwardly into the respirator against the spring loops 15 and tucked behind the flange 13.

It will be noted that the gauze pad material substantially fills the shell below the spring loops so that a large filter capacity and a large filter area is obtained within the relatively small respirator.

While a specific form of the improvement has been described and illustrated herein, it is desired to be understood that the same may be varied, within the scope of the appended claims, without departing from the spirit of the invention.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed and desired secured by Letters Patent is:

l. A nasal respirator comprising a tubular shell of preformed plastic material of substantially oval outline conforming to the shape of a nasal passage; an external peripheral bead formed on the shell around the lower extremity thereof to limit its insertion into the nasal passage; an upper peripheral bead formed on the upper extremity of the shell adapted for embedment in the nasal tissue for holding the respirator in place; an inwardly extending peripheral flange formed on the lower extremity of the shell, and a reinforcing spring formed of an endless wire loop having side portions thereof molded in the interior upper periphery of the shell, said spring being formed with a loop portion intermediate each end of said side portions bent inwardly and downwardly at an angle toward said flange, said angular loop portions being adapted to retain a gauze pad securely clamped against the interior wall and flange of the shell.

2. A nasal respirator comprising a preformed molded plastic tubular shell conforming to the shape of a nasal passage, said shell being formed at the lower end thereof with an inwardly extending peripheral flange, and a spring device comprising a continuous length of spring wire formed with opposing side portions embedded in the interior of the upper rim of the shell, and intermediate portions between the extremities of said side portions extending downwardly at an angle toward said flange, said side portions serving to reinforce and maintain the shape of said upper rim, said angular portions forming a recess with the adjacent wall and flange of the shell wherein a gauze pad may be securely clamped by said angularly extending spring portions.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 682,123 Wilson Sept. 3, 1901 1,819,884 Pores Aug. 18, 1931 2,162,583 Kjellsson June 13, 1939 

